


(One-Sided) Cupcake Wars

by OverMyFreckledBody



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Cupcakes, F/M, Floater Sasha, Geek Armin, Geek Marlow, Pining, Wannabe Eren, Wannabe Hitch, all the angst is background, and mentioned mikannie, bitter teenagers, but you dont have to take them as romantic, how could i forget - Freeform, math club, oh how they angst over love and math, only ones that are really mentioned a lot im not gonna list them all, some awkward courtship too, some heavy eremikamin 3waybroship, the rest of the ships are heavy hinted/implied, then its all over the place, theyre just there, unless you count hitchs inability to woo as angst, whole shebang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 17:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverMyFreckledBody/pseuds/OverMyFreckledBody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hitch has taken to sitting next to Marlow a lot. And giving him cupcakes. It's...</p><p>Obviously she has it out for him. The things must be poisoned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(One-Sided) Cupcake Wars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [c0cunt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0cunt/gifts).



> thank you [marshcoco](http://c0cunt.tumblr.com/) who not only let me ramble about this au, but also gave me the ideas for a good portion of it, aND helped on the name
> 
> and [acharya](http://acharyadiako.tumblr.com/) for letting me whine when i couldn't come up with an ending. you are wonderful as always
> 
> OKAY so i saw the [official art for a highschool au](http://titansatemysoul.tumblr.com/post/148809302604/fuku-shuu-the-high-school-au-from-the-shingeki) and magically my first thought was to go to my background otp and thought "lol what about wannabe hitch who totally falls for nerd marlow" and marshcoco indulged me so here this is
> 
> [music](https://listenonrepeat.com/?v=swRF0Hn1_zM#Check_Yes_Juliet-We_The_Kings\(w%2F_lyrics\)). special thanks to [captainkaltar ](http://captainkaltar.tumblr.com/)for the rec it kept me surprisingly motivated. i wrote this in like? 5-7 sittings? which is better than usual, considering
> 
> warning for them all being bitter teens with angst that doesn't express itself well. ALSO where everyone sits will be mentioned in the bottom

                “Hitch is pretty persistent,” Eren sighs, chucking his backpack to some corner of the room and slamming himself heavily on the couch. Armin looks up from his laptop to show he’s paying attention and Mikasa makes a noise around the lipstick she’s touching up as if to say _go_ _on_ , and Eren does. “She’s been edging her way into the popular groups just because-”

 

                “Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Armin asks, but shuts himself up with a smirk when Eren scowls at him before continuing without a verbal response.

 

                “-just because she’s trying to get a boy’s attention.”

 

                Mikasa pops her lips and asks, “Who?” as she uses her phone camera to make sure she doesn’t need to wipe any extra off.

 

                “Marlow.”

 

                “Figures.”

 

                “She heard he’s in math club, so she almost joined that too, but I-”

 

                Armin jerks up at the mention of that, pushing the top of his laptop closed to give this his full attention. Math club _always_ has his attention. “You didn’t actually try to talk her out of math club, did you?” Eren gives Armin’s serious expression one glance before turning to stare at the ceiling instead, which is about as much of an answer as Armin needs. “You know we need more members, Eren. I _know_ you do, I was talking about this the other day.”

 

                Mikasa grins to herself, careful not to mess with her freshly applied make up, and offers to give Hitch a flier and talk to her about it tomorrow. Eren groans, loud and into one of the throw pillows, but they ignore him in favor of scrolling through Instagram or opening up the laptop again.

 

* * *

 

 

                At the next meeting, Hitch strides in and immediately takes the seat next to Marlow, who jumps, only noticing when she settles back deep enough into the plastic chair to drop her heels on her desk. She gives him a grin full of teeth and eyes of something dark until he turns back to his worksheet, hunching over the desk.

 

                Armin is the only one in the room who isn’t surprised to see her.

 

* * *

 

 

                Marlow doesn’t even last until lunch.

 

                The day after Hitch’s first meet, he slips into his seat beside Armin, not even pulling out his stuff as he leans over to whisper, “Do you think she’s trying to silently threaten me or something?”

 

                Mikasa, on his other side, makes a choked noise that she covers with a cough quick enough that it doesn’t draw Marlow’s attention. Armin just tries to bite his lips hard enough to hold back the amused grin that’s building up and hopes his tone is misleading and innocent when he replies, “Who?”

 

                As if he doesn’t know _who_.

 

                “Hitch.” Duh. “She keeps staring at me and I don’t know _why_.”

 

                Oh, this poor child.

 

                “I don’t know,” Armin finds himself saying instead, still looking down at his materials instead of up at his classmate and friend. “And at the moment, I don’t really care.” He points at the board with his pencil. “Just get started on today’s homework.”

 

                He can practically hear the way the gears in Marlow’s head keep turning as he chews on the end of his pen, but, well, it’s not really his place to say anything.

 

                As if she knows exactly what he’s thinking, Mikasa snorts beside him.

 

* * *

 

 

                “I’m pretty sure she’s trying to intimidate me now,” Marlow states instead of a hello as he drops his tray upon the table. Though his hair is as straight and combed as always, his frazzled attitude is clear enough to the rest of the group that even Marco looks up from the pudding cup he was trying to shovel into his mouth. “I mean, she doesn’t say anything, but she keeps _looking_ at me-”

 

                Ymir cuts in with a, “Maybe she thinks you’re cute,” but doesn’t even glance away from where she’s staring at the “popular kids” table. Marlow pauses for a moment, as if to contemplate that thought until she adds under her breath, “ _Somehow_ ,” and goes back to thinking that Hitch is obviously out to get him.

 

                “She keeps _sitting by me_ – for no reason – and then just has this-”

 

                Jean – who Armin didn’t notice until he just spoke – stands awkwardly beside him, strangely fidgeting from foot to foot. All of his usual confidence and overly faked ego is gone as he stares at the ground, but the temper in his tone is still there when he snaps, “Yeah, whatever – do you have the notes or not? I’ve asked you like three times.”

 

                Marlow purses his lips, not pleased that everyone else seems to be too distracted with other things (or, as Ymir twitches, reaching up to comb a hand through her bangs as a certain blonde across the room throws her head back in a laugh, other _people_ ) to focus on his own issues. Still, before he can pull anything out, Marco wordlessly slides his own papers towards Jean, not even looking at him. Jean stares at him for a moment, then at his spoon as it digs into chocolate custard, and spins on his heel without even a thanks.

 

                Marco shoves another spoonful into mouth, a bit more violently than before, and Marlow flicks him in the head.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Swear to god you can tell the second she sees or thinks of him because her whole face lights up,” Eren moans after he falls off the map again, dropping his controller into his lap and rolling his head around on his neck so he can watch Armin braid Mikasa’s hair. Armin raises his eyebrows, glad for the   bobby pins he has in his mouth that stop his immediate response to sass him back. “I mean, she rarely ever shuts up about him-”

 

                Annie doesn’t even look up from her book. “That sounds awfully familiar.”

 

                Armin tugs at Mikasa’s hair when she smirks into her phone, but ignores the way that her hand reaches to tangle her fingers with her girlfriend’s. If he points it out, he knows there’s going to be something that sounds along the lines of _taking sides_ amidst some grumbles, so really, it’s the better off for everyone if he just keeps his mouth shut.

 

                Now, if only Eren would learn such a lesson.

 

                “I have the right to complain about this.” He tilts his nose up when Annie snarks back an _oh definitely,_ and pushes his feet into Mikasa’s lap, who shifts to accompany them. “This is all I hear about _all day_.”

 

                “I wonder what that would be like,” Annie hums and flips a page.  Eren looks like he’s about to argue with her more, but when Armin promises to play with his hair next, he allows himself to be subdued and picks his controller up again with only a roll of his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

                He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when he hears the words, “So geometry, huh?” from a voice that’s familiar, high, but not harsh on his ears, he just kind of tunes in.

 

                He turns a corner to see Hitch obliviously talking to Eren, who’s forehead is pressed against the cold metal of his locker in a way that just screams _please fucking kill me!_ , a look he’d never get away with using around Mikasa. She makes a motion with her hands, overexaggerated and he realizes that she’s going on about a hypothetical conversation when she adds, “Gotta love those… shapes.”

 

                He snorts and hikes his backpack higher up on his shoulders. Eren groans, a sound Armin knows well enough to associate with _I hate this conversation please end it_ and Hitch goes on to describe how _obviously_ stupid that would be to use instead of changing courses.

 

                And well, Armin has a class to get to. It isn’t like he could save his best friend from the horrors of social interaction, anyway.

 

* * *

 

 

                “He apparently has a sweet tooth.” Eren mentions, taking the highlighter out of his mouth when he settles into a comfortable position on Armin’s bed.

 

                He doesn’t look up when he asks, innocently, “Who?” but he knows he’s getting the _you know damn well who_ look branded into the side of his head without having to see it.

 

                Eren throws the highlighter’s cap on him and hisses, “That’s all she talked about today. Like, it was as if we were on a game show and today’s topic was how he likes his coffee with a fuckton of sugar and loves pie or something. I’m going to go _insane_.”

 

                He nearly gets pushed out of the bed when he mutters under his breath about how he shouldn’t, because that would be expensive.

 

* * *

 

 

Marco is glaring at something on his phone as he attempts to stab a hole through the plastic of his pudding cup when Hitch darts by and slams a cupcake in front of Marlow and continues off in the direction of the halls. Armin watches, eyebrows raised, as she disappears out of the cafeteria instead of going back to her table and reaches to pull out his own phone.

 

> **[Wednesday 12:18pm]**
> 
> **Me:** Where is Hitch going?

 

                Eren responds quicker than he would have thought.

 

> **[Wednesday 12:19pm]**
> 
> **Eren:** bathroom
> 
> to hyperventilate abt her gift i think

 

                Even Marco has given up trying to silently curse whoever’s left him in a pissy mood lately to stare at the baked good and then at Marlow, mouth opening to ask what just happened. Before he gets to, however, Sasha slinks into the seat beside him, which causes the whole table pauses to look at her.

 

                It isn’t as if it’s unusual to see her bouncing from table to table; it was something she, self-titled “Floater”, did often, since she tried to make friends with just about everyone. Though it was clear to everyone that even if they were friends and she would always be happy to talk to any of them, she wasn’t _close_ to anyone in particular. Well, aside from one person, who she had taken to sitting with a lot more these past few weeks.

 

                One glance at said person’s table showed that not only were they still there, not absent, but also staring straight at Sasha as if that would make her come back.

 

                Without even a glance in their direction, Sasha points to the cupcake that Marlow still hasn’t even touched and asks, “Are you going to eat that?” She barely even waits for him to shake his head before she snatches it up, unwrapping the bottom half with quick movements of her fingers.

 

                Ymir, who has turned back to her usual staring across the room, waits until Sasha finishes her first bite before she wonders aloud why Sasha is here of all tables. Armin sends her an amused look for her lack of tact, but other than a small smirk, she gives no visible clues that she noticed it.

 

                Sasha herself doesn’t really seem to care for more than her chocolatey goodness at the moment because other than a statement of, “Boy problems,” she doesn’t say anything else for the rest of lunch.

 

                Armin notices that Marco’s sigh in response is a little more sympathetic than anyone else’s.

 

* * *

 

 

                The cupcakes become a regular.

 

                Sometimes, like today, they’re on the table before Marlow even is, placed right in front of the seat that he always takes. As he slides into it, staring at the goodie, he sets his lunch around it, like it could contaminate his food if it got too close. “How does she even know where I sit?”

 

                Eren, who sits next to Armin today, answers without even looking up as he rearranges some of the food on his and Armin’s plates (giving Armin the food he doesn’t like, taking the food from Armin’s plate that he does), “Dude. She stares at you all lunch period like, _every day_.”

 

                Armin glances at Ymir out of the corner of his eye when he doesn’t hear her snort like she would have if she was listening, only to see that she’s not in her usual place. He looks around, only to find her sitting next to Christa, who is on Eren’s other side. The “popular table” is empty because Reiner and Bertholdt are suspiciously gone, Hitch is still in the bathroom most of the half hour each day, and of course Eren would go to sit with Armin instead of being mainly alone – so it isn’t really a surprise that she came along to sit with them. What _is_ a surprise, however, is how soft her voice and smile is as she whispers quietly with Ymir, who’s leaning so close she’ll probably fall off her chair soon.

 

                The only part of it that’s a surprise is that it finally happened, really.

 

                “I don’t see why you haven’t at least tried them, I thought you liked sweet things?” Armin tries, biting back a grin, because he _knows_. He knows Marlow likes sweets. He knows Marlow likes chocolate. He knows Marlow would probably like those cupcakes. But he _also_ knows that Marlow, the poor, oblivious thing, thinks something’s wrong with them just because they came from _Hitch_.

 

                “Don’t tell Hitch he isn’t eating them.” Eren mutters under his breath, and Armin bites into his lip even harder. Marlow only pushes the cupcake farther from the rest of his lunch.

 

* * *

 

 

                “So, Hitch’s mother kind of noticed that she’s been baking a lot more… Chocolate cupcakes, especially…”

 

                Armin covers his mouth.

 

                “And it’s starting to become a bit much, so Hitch has _apparently_ decided that it’s best just to start buying them…”

 

                Mikasa doesn’t hold out as long as Armin does in her silence. “Oh no.”

 

                Eren shoots her a look. “You don’t know the half of it.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Apparently there was a _rant_ about how store-bought, plastic wrapped cupcakes are just not as good as the homemade kind. If Armin and Mikasa didn’t know before, they do now.

 

* * *

 

 

                Sure enough, the day after that, there’s an unopened cupcake sitting in front of Marlow, who continues to look at it and its icing that’s less of a frosting and more of a sugary substance that can be peeled off like frosting _shouldn’t_ with a look of disgust and skepticism, the same one he gave all the other cupcakes before.

 

                Ymir takes that look in with raised eyebrows and asks the question the rest of them have on their tongues, “So, it’s wrapped. Why can’t you eat it now? How could it still be poisoned?”

 

                His mouth twists as he stares at it, but the hesitance in his answer seems more from not wanting to say it than coming up with some kind of excuse. He probably thought it as soon as he saw how different the cupcake was. “It could be… injected.”

 

                “Jesus,” Marco breathes out beside him, staring at Marlow like he’s lost his marbles. “Are your parents _cops_?”

 

                Marlow flushes, but doesn’t reply to that, and Armin almost wonders if he spends his free time watching the nightly news.

 

* * *

 

 

                Of course, Marlow finally eats on the day that Hitch finally braves the cafeteria again, watching him intently from her table.

 

Once everyone is settled in their seats, not even really sparing the new cupcake a single look, Marlow grabs it and jerks apart the plastic. Everyone watches, wordlessly, as he then shoves it into his mouth, staring at the table as he slowly chews it. Once he’s finished, tongue scraping across his teeth to get the last of it, he looks around and pulls out the rest of his lunch.

 

                “Was it any good?”

 

                Bless Ymir.

 

                There’s a pause and a small sigh before, “Yes.”

 

> **[Tuesday 12:04pm]**
> 
> **Eren:** shes literally speechless
> 
> just pillowed her face into her arms and quiet

 

> **[Tuesday 12:05pm]**
> 
> **Eren:** i cant tell if the silence or her huge smile is the most discerning

 

* * *

 

 

                She doesn’t even give him a day before she switches back to homemade cupcakes. In fact, when he gets to his seat, he only stares, disoriented, as there sits _two_ baked treats.

 

                She’s in the bathroom again, thankfully before she has a chance to notice that he throws them away, not even giving them a chance.

 

* * *

 

 

                That afternoon is a math club meeting. Normally, that’s not all that special, since she just mostly only stares at Marlow as he does his work for it, not saying a thing, mostly just eyeing him and sitting up as straight as she can when he happens to look away from his paper, even if it’s never in her direction.

 

                However, that afternoon, she’s barely settled into her seat when she, excited smile brightening her face, whole body angled toward Marlow’s desk, inquires his opinion on the taste of her gifts. Before he even gets the chance to answer, though, she’s going on anyway and her feet tap against the ground, just as nervously twitchy as her words, “It’s actually one of my family’s recipes. I kind of had to ask my grandmother for the recipe?” This part comes out more of a question than a statement, but she tries to cover it up with, “But since I usually never bake, she almost didn’t want to give it to me. But! She did, so, I was wondering… If you liked them? Did you? Because I’m still kind of new at everything, even cupcakes, so…”

 

                She trails off, eyes expectantly staring and open, and Marlow just gapes at her in response. Armin would try to help, kicking Marlow if anything, to get him going, but that would bring too much attention to the fact that his face is probably bright red since he’s trying so hard not to laugh.

 

                However, before the light in her eyes can start to dim, Marco, the sweetheart, turns around in his seat and leans back to whisper, “Yes, he liked them. They’re his favorite.”

 

                Hitch just about _glows_.

 

* * *

 

 

                There are _three_ the next day. When Marlow stares at them in defeat, Marco elbows him and jerks his head towards the table Hitch is watching from with a hiss, “You can’t just throw them away, she’s going to be watching you. Either stand up for yourself and tell her to stop sending them to you, or just appreciate the gifts.”

 

                “Why can’t I just share them with you guys? If I eat at least one, I’m fine, right?” Even as he asks this, Marlow starts to unwrap his cupcake, slowly and carefully as to keep the crumbs to a minimum.

 

                Ymir takes a bite of her apple, eyes where they usually lay, though her expression is kinder than it used to be, ever since that day Eren sat at this table. “You can’t do that. These are courting gifts and you’re obviously not supposed to share them or give them away.”

 

                Marco coughs into his fist, but to Marlow’s displeasure, no one disagrees, so he eats all three of his cupcakes.

 

                “They’re not my favorites,” he mutters pointedly to Marco after he’s finished and starts on the meal part of his lunch.

 

                Ymir actually looks up for this. “Is she _bad_ at cooking?” Her expression is something of wonderment, but there’s a bit of an amused tinge to her voice, like she could use this information to gloat or brag, but Armin isn’t sure what that would be, even if Ymir was – and he doesn’t really see her as one – the type of person to do that.

 

                Marlow’s response is quiet and just a touch sullen, “No.”

 

                Ymir cackles.

 

* * *

 

 

                “I liked the cupcakes today.” Marlow mumbles as he slides into his seat, not looking at Hitch or anything but his desk. “Especially with the cinnamon.”

 

                Hitch’s blush is pink and vibrant.

 

* * *

 

 

                He already has a pen in his mouth when he comes into the classroom, which is probably the biggest tipoff that he has something on his mind that’s probably going to come out soon. Armin watches, waiting, as Marlow unpacks all of his supplies for class before he finally states, gaze stuck to the front of the classroom like it’ll help with some of the embarrassment of his next words, “She’s kind of cute when she’s flustered.”

 

                Armin snorts so loudly that Mikasa looks at him, eyebrows high, and asks if he’s okay.

 

                Marlow frowns, digs his teeth into his pen just a little harder, and adds on, “It’s just a nice change from _intimidating_ is all.”

 

                Of course that’s all it is.

 

* * *

 

 

                It’s a surprise to no one when Marlow comes out one day, pushing his food around on his plate, and starts, “I think… I think I kind of like Hitch. Like, as in, like-like-”

 

                Armin pulls out his phone to bother Eren with the news, half to feel his glare and get his reply of _fuck you, you know I don’t care about this_ and half for the chance of Hitch reading it over his shoulder and squealing so loud that the rest of the cafeteria finds out too. “I’m pretty sure that you’re the _last one_ to come to this conclusion.”

 

                The rest of the table gives a nod and Marlow shoves a forkful of his lunch into his mouth with bashful grumble.

 

* * *

 

 

                Eren is sitting at their table again, with Christa and Ymir in the same spots they were last time, but this time Hitch is sitting with them too, happily beside Marlow. Nobody has said anything about this new development, though a lot of that is because Armin is pleased to sit by Eren more often, Ymir is wholeheartedly distracted by Christa’s smile, and Marco is reading a book.

 

                When Christa leaves for the bathroom though, Ymir is left with nothing to do but join in on conversations or eat, so of course she notices when Hitch hands Marlow a cupcake with a pleased smile, watching him unwrap it and take a bite. In fact, she waits until he has a good mouthful, unable to reply when she turns to Hitch and asks, “So, when’s the wedding?”

 

                Though her cheeks color a smidge, Hitch proves not to be as awkward with the question as the boy beside her because she only straightens up and smirks. “I was thinking a summer wedding would be best. Peonies are my favorite flowers, you see.”

 

                Everyone at the table pauses at her response and lack of discomfort about being teased. Well, everyone but Eren, who only stuffs his mouth, amused, at the turn of conversation. He’s the only one who seems to know her passed a stammering, pining crushee, after all.

 

                Marlow ends up being the one to choke out an, “Oh?” after he swallows, before anyone else really collects themselves enough to reply to that. Hitch’s smirk grows and her fingers reach out to gently skim against his as she stares back at him.

 

                She glances at the place their fingers touched for a moment, before shrugging. “I look good in the sun and I think you would too.”

 

                It turns out Marlow doesn’t necessarily need a cupcake in his mouth to startle him into silence. Hitch can to that to him on her own just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> i think I liked this format. might do it for an upcoming au...
> 
> my writing tumblr is [here!](http://overmyfreckledbody.tumblr.com/)! all the links to people above are their tumblrs too.
> 
> [this is where](http://overmyfreckledbody.tumblr.com/post/149393704933/so-that-highschool-au-i-was-talking-about) you can like and/or reblog the fic if you want!
> 
> thanks for reading!!
> 
> table notes:
> 
> "popular table" includes Reiner and by proxy Bertholdt and Eren. Then also Christa, which draws in Hitch (though she is also good friends with Eren).
> 
> "nerd table" is Armin, Ymir, Marlow, and Marco. 
> 
> "outcast/misfit/badboy&girl table that doesn't really?? have a name??" is Jean and Annie (who brings in her gf Mikasa), as well as Connie, who's lately been bringing in Sasha. Otherwise Sasha just jumps all over the place. after that one scene, she was back to sitting with him.


End file.
